Assorted Fruits
by Riddelly
Summary: Drabbles on every pairing I can possibly imagine- het, slash, and femslash. ON HIATUS.
1. Kyo x Tohru

**A/N** _Hello, everyone! :D Drabble #1 here is the most canon of canon pairings, Kyo/Tohru. It doesn't quite fit into any particular place in the manga- he shouldn't have been in her hospital room this early- but I like how it turned out, so yeah. _

**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc._

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><p><strong>I. ORANGES &amp; ONIGIRIS<strong>

She was lying quietly in the white hospital bed, eyes closed and chocolate-colored hair spilling out in sweet, dark waves and rivulets over the clean, pale pillows. In her sleep, she wasn't smiling—an odd sight on the face of Tohru Honda.

She looked like a goddess, Kyo decided. A goddess of kindness, of generosity and…purity. Sitting hunched forward in a folding chair beside Tohru's bed, he suddenly remembered earlier, seeing her sprawled on the dirt like a broken doll, running thoughtlessly over to her limp form. He remembered seeing the clear blue of her eyes for a moment, and taking that chance—perhaps his last chance—to bend forward and press his lips against hers.

He hadn't known if she would make it, at that point. But now she was safe, they said. She'd be bruised, but alive and mobile.

Still, Tohru looked so still. She was a lively, spirited, endlessly cheerful girl, usually, a perfect girl. One that Kyo couldn't help…falling in love with.

_We'll make it, _he thought to her, watching the rise and fall of her chest in the room that was silent save the beeping of hospital machines._Once you get better, it'll be just the two of us. Yuki can go die in a hole or whatever. But that doesn't matter anymore. No more pretense. I love you, Tohru. I love you and that's what matters._

_That's enough to get us through this._


	2. Yuki x Machi

**A/N** _Hola! So, here's Chapter II. I love Yuki/Machi, and I kind of wish that I could have given them a better chapter, but this is what came out, so deal with it. Review, if you liked it, hated it, whatever- 20 seconds of your time could give me hours of inspiration! Do NOT be afraid to criticize! I suppose that flames are accepted, so cheers. Feel free to request!_

**Thanks to...** _Xx-Synthetic-Cyanide-xX & Rain7427_

**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc. _

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><p><strong>II. BLUEBERRIES &amp; PLUMS<strong>

"I don't _want _to!" Machi Kuragi wailed .

Yuki Sohma sighed and stared over his girlfriend's shoulder at the school festival photo booth. Things didn't have to be this complicated. Ayame had taken it upon himself to arrange this photo shoot, and had fashioned it with his usual oddity- Yuki and Machi were supposed to dress up as a medieval prince and princess and have their photo taken, probably to afterwards be distributed to the entire Sohma family and perhaps the whole of Japan. Unfortunately, the visiting Motoko Minagawa had insisted, presumably out of jealousy, that the picture was to be of the prince _killing _the princess. The photographer thought this too vulgar and proposed that instead Machi be dressed as a dragon for Yuki to slay. That was as far as they'd gotten.

Machi hated it all.

"Machi," Yuki tried, "please, just humor them. It's just one shoot. I'll take you to dinner afterwards. Get us out of this mess." It was, indeed, a mess; crushed popcorn practically carpeted the ground, and there were heat, color, and voices everywhere.

"But it's not right! I'm tired of them calling you a prince, and I don't want to be a stupid dead dragon."

"But Nii-san and Minagawa-san-" he pleaded.

"_I don't want to!_"

"Okay. Okay." Yuki took a deep breath, trying to block out the cacophony around him and sooth his pulsing headache. "In that case, let's say...how about _you're _the prince?"

Machi's eyes widened in surprise, then the frown resettled. "Better than the other idea, I guess, but..."

"We'll be gone before Ayame can even get his eyes on the prints," Yuki promised in relief, squeezing Machi's shoulder and turning to the photo booth.

In the end, neither Aaya nor Motoko was pleased whatsoever, but the other Sohmas had a good laugh over the image of the surly, long-haired prince stiffly holding a sword over the gorgeous, pristine dragon. Machi laughed, too, in the end, and for Yuki, that made it all worthwhile.


	3. Akito x Tohru

**A/N** _Hi! This chapter is for FBFan- I hope you enjoy it! It's a little more depressing than the others, but that happens when you're writing about Akito, I suppose. By the way, I decided that I'm definitely open to requests- I have a master list of what just might be every Furuba pairing possible, but if you review and mention a favorite, I'll be sure to do it sooner rather than later! Oh, and also- though I use the masculine pronouns when describing Akii here, he *could* be a woman. It's up to interpretation._

**Thanks to...** _FBFan & ScarredStar_

**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc._

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><p><strong>III. BLACKBERRIES &amp; ONIGIRIS<strong>

God was merciless. He had the power to crush the world with a flick of his finger, a tilt of his chin. He could order people to do whatever he may wish, kill them for the slightest offense, force them to worship him and strike fear into their hearts with ease.

What he couldn't do was make them love him. He tried, oh, he tried—tried with Kureno, Shigure, Hatori, even Ayame. But, in the end, no one could love a monster. No one could even understand a monster.

No one bet _her._

She, the one who loved endlessly, sympathized without limits. She, whom he had berated and tormented as much as any of the others, perhaps more than. She, who wouldn't ever lat that stand in the way of her constant optimism, beauty, perfection.

They all loved her back. All of them. That's what love was for the Zodiac, a sort of material that the very air was thick with, enveloping them, penetrating them, connecting them.

And _she _was in the center.

Her.

Tohru.

Akito pressed his forehead against the cool, damp glass above the window of his too-big, too-empty bed. Rain dashed across it, fracturing the world outside.

He curled his long, pale fingers into a fist.

_I can have everything I want._

_Everything._

But that wasn't his place. He wasn't meant to be among them. They were his subjects, not his friends. He pressed the fist against the window, letting the cold leak into his skin.

_Everything except for her._

_And she's all I really do want._

The fist dropped, and he slumped to the bed, defeated, defeated. Reduced to curling in a heap on a pile of bed sheets because of a stupid, naïve girl.

Tohru.

_I love you._


	4. Shigure x Akito

**A/N** _Okay...so, I FINALLY managed to write this! _:D_ Finally finally! I don't know if I've ever had such a severe case of writer's block before...I'm not entirely satisfied with the finished product, but see what you think. This is for ScarredStar...I hope you like it And I've written through Chapter VII (yes! I've actually written ahead!), so I think I'll post one per day or so. I'm sorry that I don't have any slash yet...but it will come, my darlings, it will come...sometime after Chapter VII ;)__  
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**Thanks to...** _FBFan_

**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc._

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><p><strong>IV. MANGOES &amp; BLACKBERRIES<strong>

"_No."_

The head of the Sohmas, personification of God, was _not _about to be forced into a frilly pink dress, whatever her, for lack of a better word, boyfriend attempted. It pained her eyes just to look at—she'd never liked Ayame's styles, and this abomination was purely horrendous.

"Aw, come on," Shigure pleaded, his eyes large and limpid, pushing the pile of blush-hued, lacy ruffles towards her. "Aaya made it with your coming-out specifically in mind."

"You make it sound like I'm gay," Akito muttered.

"A-chan—"

"What did I tell you? I'm not wearing that thing! Just because I agreed to grow my hair out doesn't mean I want to look like some sort of fairy princess."

"Maybe I don't want to look gay, myself," Shigure challenged.

Her eyes flashed. "Don't play that. I've seen you flirt with Ayame, and it's not pretty." But beneath her projection of thorniness, she was injured. _Do I really look that masculine? _Just because she'd called herself a man all her life didn't mean that she appreciated the idea of having no girlish beauty whatsoever.

Of course, he saw right through her, and his dark, puppy-like eyes melted into gentleness. "Kidding," he murmured, tilting his neck to press his forehead against hers. "Don't worry. You look perfect in or out of dress-up clothes."

Akito's face began to heat up, so close to his. "Good," she whispered faintly, curling the tip of her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. Taking it as a signal, he eagerly leaned closer, eyes fluttering shut…

…And therefore was completely unsuspecting when she jerked back and flicked at his ear.

"Ow!" he yelped in protest as the dress fell to the floor, a hand flying to the side of his head.

"You need _someone _who can stand up to you," she grouched. "I still stand by what I said: I'm _not _wearing that horrid thing you call a dress."


	5. Kyo x Kagura

**A/N** _Not much to say this time around... review?_

**Thanks to...** _lunalovegood67, ScarredStar, & FBFan_

**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc._

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><p><strong>ORANGES &amp; APPLES<strong>

"Kyo-kuuun!"

His eyes flew open, and a swear word was framed in his lips. _I thought that she couldn't find me up here. For the life of me, I thought this was safe!_

He scrambled hastily to his knees, brushing off a couple of stray kittens that had been nestling around him, and peered over the side of the school building in time to see Kagura pulling herself up off the metal ladder, the legs of her kitty backpack bouncing.

"There you are!" she laughed. "Kyo-kun, I've been searching for you for hours! Ever since I heard you went to the nurse's…" Her eyes grew wide. "I thought you'd had to go home, so I called Shigure, and then he said he hadn't seen you, so I asked the nurse where you'd been, and according to her, you hadn't even been in _there_, so then I looked all around the school…all this after the bell rang and Tohru told me that—"

He made a tired gesture for her to stop. What Kagura didn't know was that he hadn't been sick at all, but had rather run for sanctuary—in the familiar form of the roof—when he heard his classmates speaking of a "dark-haired woman with some sort of stuffed animal backpack" sneaking around the grounds. He'd stayed on the roof as school was let out and even the sun set, unwilling to chance anything.

She frowned, tilting her head. "What's wrong?"

As if in response, his stomach snarled like a tiger.

Her face broke out in a grin. "Kyo-kuuun! Why didn't you tell me you were hungry? I brought a picnic!"

He stared, trying to restrain his utter horror, as she pulled a manner of plastic containers from her backpack. "I brought your favorites!"

His eyes widened slowly. "Those…those _are_ my favorite foods," he blurted out.

"Of course, silly! What, do you think I don't know you at all?" She giggled as if the very idea was preposterous.

Kyo watched as she began to open the containers, humming softly, her eyes glinting in the moonlight. He examined the curve of her grinning lips, the soft wave of her dark hair against her graceful neck, the pale flush of her smooth cheeks.

It was then, on the roof, that he first began to see her in a different light.


	6. Hiro x Kisa

**A/N** _Kisa and Hiro have landed!__  
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**Thanks to...** _nutella 4 a happy panda, Total Anime Fangirl, and Chiruno-Chan__  
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**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc._

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><p><strong>POMEGRANATES &amp; PEACHES<strong>

The prospect of actually doing it, of actually taking things by the reins and officially asking her out, was rather terrifying for Hiro. After all, he was only twelve, and she thirteen. But surely she knew by this point that he had certain affections for her. This wouldn't be taking things that much farther, would it? _No. All you're doing is confirming in an extremely outright way that you think of her as more than a friend…_

Hiro swallowed roughly, his fists clenched in his pockets, and took the last few steps towards her, sealing the distance between them with three clean movements of his sneaker-clothed feet.

"Hi, Hiro-kun!" Kisa exclaimed delightedly, a small, sweet smile blooming over her delicate face. But it quickly gave way to gentle concern. "Are you alright? You look nervous." Just as fast, the young girl's expression morphed to panic. "Oh, no, you're not angry at me, are you?"

"Of course not," Hiro promised hurriedly. _Great. You're messing up already, and you've hardly said three words. _"It's just…well…" _The more time you waste, the more stupid and nervous you look. _He straightened up and looked her in the eye, trying to speak clearly. "I was wondering if you wanted to go see the new Mogeta movie…at the, uh, midnight premiere."

Her amber eyes lightened considerably at that. "That's all? Why were you nervous about that? Of course I'd like to!"

A hot flush swept across his face, tickling with heat. _She doesn't get it. Bye, subtlety. Nice knowing you. _"Well, it would be like a…date."

"Oh!" Kisa's face turned bright pink to match Hiro's. "Well…um…sure, that sounds fun." She smiled a little bit. "Yeah…I'd…like that." The last two words came out practically as whispers.

"Really?" he found himself asking frantically. _Smooth. Good job._

"O-of course." She nodded a couple of times. "Yeah. When is it?"

"Tomorrow night." So she'd said yes. But things felt wrong. Awkward.

"Great. Yeah, great."

They stood there for a moment, looking at each other's' feet, when suddenly another person came running towards them. Hiro glanced up quickly. _Tohru Honda._

"Kisa!" she cried excitedly. "Did he say yes? Are you going to the movie?"

Hiro's eyes flickered to Kisa, who smiled shyly. _She was going to ask me. That's what this is about. _And, without even thinking about it, he beamed.


	7. Haru x Rin

**A/N** _Haru and Rin, making some of their signature jewelry together. I just realized that the chapter headings for these chapters have been extremely varied. Sometimes they're bolded, sometimes all-caps, sometimes they don't exist at all... well, from now on, they will look like they do here.__  
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**Thanks to...** _Chiruno-Chan__  
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**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc._

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><p><strong>VII. LIMES &amp; LEMONS<strong>

"Here." Haru carefully poked a wire through the tiny loop at the end of an abstractly shaped pewter charm. "See, the string isn't strong enough to get through there alone. So you have to do it with wire, instead. And then you line the wire up with the string—here, like this—and it just slips down onto the string." As he spoke, he moved Rin's hands through the motions, successfully transferring the charm from the wire to the string. "See? Easy."

Her skin tingled where his touched it, but she tried not to let it show, instead intently repeating the moves with empty hands. "Like this?"

"You got it. Then again, it's a bit difficult to do wrong."

She scowled, not meeting his eyes. "Then maybe I should just stop trying, since apparently it'll work anyways."

"I don't mean things like that, Rin."

Huffing, she dropped the bracelet she was trying to make onto the bed they sat on. "My hands aren't made for this kind of stuff. You can just do it."

"Rin," he scolded gently.

"It's just not fun for me, okay?"

He cupped her chin in a hand and raised it up to his face, so that she had no choice to look into his eyes, the color of bittersweet chocolate. "What do you mean, it's not fun for you?" Haru murmured. She felt her eyes widen as his minty breath whooshed through her slightly parted lips. "Are you saying that time with me isn't…" He moved yet closer, so that their faces were only millimeters apart. "…Fun?"

"No," she squeaked, instantly humiliated by how easily he'd gotten her.

"Excellent." He smirked. "Now, are you ready to continue?"

_Damn it. _"You're not being very fair with me here," she stuttered as he dropped her chin and returned to methodically threading beads onto the chain.

"Yeah? Since when do I play by the rules?"

"Since never," she admitted grudgingly, and picked up another charm and wire.


	8. Yuki x Tohru

**A/N** _Yuki/Tohru this time. Review?__  
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**Thanks to...** _Chiruno-Chan__  
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**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc._

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><p><strong>VIII. BLUEBERRIES &amp; ONIGIRIS<strong>

"Yuki-kun!"

Her voice seemed to carry warmth through the chilly winter air, and he found himself smiling—nothing big, just a faint, sweet smile that he couldn't seem to keep from tugging at the corners of his mouth. He turned slightly, and was almost knocked over by the flurry of coziness that was Tohru rushing at him. He caught her shoulder and gently held her back, his pale silver eyes roving over her face—the sweet, warm hue of a faint blush staining the remarkably clear skin of her cheeks, which were stretched in an even, perfect grin that led up to her eyes—and her eyes were amazing, too, so big and bright, glittering with seemingly unending energy.

"What is it?" he asked. His words came out soft, muffled by the silent heaps of snow that lay around the school they were standing outside of. The bell was moments from ringing, and they were the only two there. "Can it wait? I don't want you to be late for class."

"I—I suppose," she stuttered, blushing darker. "I'm sorry, it's just… you dropped this." She held something up in a mitten-clad hand, something square and light pink.

Yuki's grin widened. "You didn't need to return that to me, you know. Look at it."

Puzzled, the brunette girl peered closer at the little rectangle of paper, and he knew what she was seeing: her own name, _Tohru Honda,_written out in neat blue pen.

"I'm sorry I dropped it, it's a bit soggy, and it would have been nice to give it to you personally."

"But I don't—" The confused expression on her face was so cute it practically hurt to look at.

"It's Valentine's Day. Didn't you know?"

"I—"

"Go on, open it up."

The school bell rang loudly through the air, but neither one of them paid it the least attention. Yuki felt warmth run through him as Tohru ripped open the envelope and pulled out the card within. Her face turned the darkest color yet, but as she looked up, her eyes were shining brighter than ever.

"Well?" he asked quietly, catching a strand of her shining hair between his gloved fingers. "What do you say? Will you be my Valentine?"


	9. Hatori x Tohru

**_Hatori/Tohru time. :P I really want to get some slash in... I've been in a Kyo/Yuki mood lately, so that might be the next thing that comes out, unless I get another request. REQUESTS ARE GOLDEN! ^^_**

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><p>IX. Grapefruits &amp; Onigiris<p>

"You need to give yourself a break, Tohru-kun. It's excessive work that gives you these fevers, you know."

Hatori's voice was as cool and measured as always, but the almost shy look that she glimpsed through his one-sided bangs was anything but. His pale violet eyes, both the foggy left one and the clear right, were slightly downcast, steadily observing his hands as they capped his thermometer, and yet there was another layer to them. Tohru recognized it, which was only to be expected, seeing as she was the owner of a similar emotional shade all too often.

_Concern. Why is he concerned about me?_

"It's okay, Haa-san," she promised, straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin up in an attempt to look less sick. Her head spun a bit with the effort, though, and a fresh flush of heat drifted over her cheeks. "I'm fine! I'll be up and about tomorrow, as per usual—"

"Didn't I just tell you that rest is what you need most?" he responded evenly, now intent on snapping shut his case of medical instruments. "I'll be back to check on you again tomorrow, and I hope to see you in bed. I don't think that this fever is severe, but it has the capacity to develop into something more."

Tohru didn't know it, but Kana used to get fevers rather often. Hatori could remember how he always recognized the slightly glazed look in her bright eyes when she'd visit him in the morning, how he'd lay her down and insist that she rest until she got better, just because he didn't want to see her hurt, damaged, imperfect. He didn't want her to be unhappy in the least.

_But I am happy, _she used to laugh. _I'm happy as long as you're the doctor to take care of me._

Tohru had never said those exact words. But she was the type to cheerfully declare things like that. Thoughtlessly, even, she'd spout out phrases that would make people's days. Did she realize what she was to everyone? _You light up this household. No one can afford for you to go out._

This household. This household that consisted of her, Shigure, Kyo, and Yuki. She'd end up with one of them in the end—the cat or the rat. Hatori knew that. Everybody knew that, except for perhaps the three teenagers themselves. Which one it would be, and when the relationship would solidify—those were the only questions. Hatori wasn't even in the running. But he was used to that. And that was acceptance was how his eyes managed to close over again with brisk, icy efficiency as he stood up to leave.

He didn't stand a chance. So why even try?


	10. Ritsu x Kagura

**_Yes, I did say that I might go for a Kyo/Yuki. Sorry to disappoint, but I somehow went for Ritsu/Kagura instead. This is one of my favorite non-canon, non-slash pairings that Furuba has to offer, aside from Megumi/Kisa, which will also get its turn eventually, mark my words. No idea how this one came out, so I'd love a review. Pretty please with promises to fulfill requests on top?_**

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><p><strong><strong>****X. Nectarines & Apples

"Kyo and Tohru are together."

Kagura had no pretense in uttering these words; in fact, Ritsu had barely processed the fact that she was standing there in front of him before they were out of her mouth. She stood there, heaving, her face red and her brown eyes shining darkly. Looking wild and beautiful and most of all, very, very angry.

"Oh… I'm… I'm sorry," he stammered, watching her glare down at him. Why had she come to him, of all people? He'd been taking a hopefully peaceful walk around the Sohma grounds, trying to sort out his thoughts, but the arrival of the most temperamental Zodiac member wasn't about to help that. Especially when he realized just what she'd said, and the reflexive words that had come from his mouth took on real meaning. "I'm sorry!" he repeated, beginning to get worked up. "It's my fault, it has to be, that's the only reason why you'd be telling me—Kagura-san, I'm sorry…" His voice was rising. "What can I do to make it better? How can I fix it? I'm _sorry!_" The volume had now reached what could safely be called a wail.

The Boar took two steps closer, and leaned in until he could see that her eyes were sparkling with furious tears. He was amazed that she was actually holding herself back physically—but there wasn't much time to be. "You can do _this,_" she hissed, and, just as smoothly as she'd spoken, she grabbed his face in her hands, winding her fingers into his long hair, pulled him down, and kissed him on the lips, once, so hard that he found himself dazedly half-wondering if it would bruise later. Then she let go, and he found himself staring blankly at her nervously trembling form.

"But—_Kyo,_" was the first thing to come from his mouth.

"Yeah? What about him? He has Tohru now," she replied defensively. He could tell by her eyes, though, that she didn't mean it. Kagura still cared about Kyo. There wouldn't be any changing that. _But then why…_

"You're not a substitute, just so you know," she added steadily, almost conversationally. "It's just that I feel differently about him than about you."

"Wh-what are you saying? Why are you…?" He sank slowly to his knees, trembling with confusion. "Why did you just do that?" A squeaking "I'm sorry" was added on the end of the sentence for good measure.

"They're going to stay together. I can tell," she explained, a smile beginning to form on her flushed face. The tears seemed to have vanished from her eyes. "And I'm going to need someone to help me get through this."

"I can't help people with that kind of thing… I'm sorry…" But he could tell by the now-full grin that he was wrong. At least, he was by her standards.


	11. Shigure x Tohru

**A/N **_I don't know what to think about this chapter. I really don't. I wrote it a bit unfocused, so owe the creepiness to that. Also- what has possessed my brain and rendered me incapable of writing slash? I would if I decided to, but somehow all these straight pairings are taking priority O.o Oh, well, I'm sure it'll come to a halt soon enough. Well, anyways, enjoy the chapter. Maybe. I hope. Oh, and look at the pretty new Authoress's Note format. Isn't it nice?_

**Thanks to **_Chiruno-chan and Total Anime Fangirl!_

**Disclaimer **_I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc. _

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><p>XI. Mangos &amp; Onigiris<p>

"Tohru-kun," Shigure called, his voice laden with whiny sweetness. She glanced up from her studying, unable to ignore his gentle call from the adjacent room. Her throat was too sore, due to a recent cold, to reply from this distance, so she scooted her chair back from the table with a light creak and hurried in to find him sprawled sideways over an armchair, watching her with a playfully thoughtful expression.

"Yes, Shigure-san?" she asked hastily, straightening her blouse slightly. There was something about him that made her feel terribly self-conscious.

"My coffee." He draped a lazy hand in the direction of an empty mug. "It was good, would you get some more next time? I haven't written so much in… well, I won't stretch my brain; the poor thing's had enough exercise today as it is." The last word ended in a slow yawn.

"Ah—yes, of course," she agreed, head bobbing up and down in frantic agreement. "But, well, Shigure-san… which coffee was it that you took? I bought a few different samples last time…"

He ran the tip of his tongue over his lips slowly, watching her the whole time. She couldn't help heat from tickling the inside of her face, and she turned away, confused as to why her body would choose now to paint a flush over her cheeks.

"Mmm, tastes… exotic. Can't say I'm sure quite which type it is, though… here, have a little lick yourself, why don't you? I'm sure you'll be able to identify it immediately."

"Sure… okay. Yes, that's a good idea." Swallowing a bit anxiously, she shuffled over to the table that held Shigure's computer, reaching out to retrieve the mug. She peered into it, then her face twisted into a mask of puzzlement.

"But, Shigure-san, the cup is empty." She held it out to him as if to prove her point. Sure enough, there was only the faintest hint of dregs coating the creamy bottom.

"Then you'll just have to try from another source, I suppose." He drew his tongue over his lips one more time, slowly. Tohru slowly looked up to his face, lit up eerily pale blue from the light of the computer screen.

"A—another source?" she repeated anxiously, confused. "What… what other source? It's all gone."

"Oh, I think you'll be able to find some remnants," he breathed, reaching forward to slide his hand to the back of her head.

Still not quite comprehending, she found herself leaning in…


	12. Arisa x Saki

**A/N **_Somebody help me, I think I'm going insane. My first non-het chapter isn't slash, but, in fact, femslash. Yuri. Girl-girl. One of my favorite of such pairings out there, but still- seriously? I rarely ever write/read this type... oh, well. Skip it if it bothers you. Arisa and Saki, though, seriously- if that isn't a wonderful yuri pairing, then what is? Right, excuse that. Um. Right. Moving on. Request if you want!_

**Thanks to **_Chiruno-Chan, LittleHyperOtaku-Chan, Total Anime Fangirl, and especially nutella4ever, who was kind enough to point out when tired old me accidentally posted a chapter of my BBC Sherlock fanfic on here *headdesk*_

**Disclaimer **_I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc. _

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><p>XII. Bananas &amp; Grapes<p>

"Just answer me this one question." Arisa leaned back against her best friend's bed board, watching the dark-haired girl rummage about with a tea tray a ways away. She wasn't sure what was prompting the inquiry to come to her mind, but she knew that, suddenly, she wanted an answer. "When you… when you were talking to Momiji the other day about people calling him gay…"

Saki turned ever so slightly, so that one of her deep, mystically colored violet eyes was visible, peering up through strands of smoky black hair. It was a gorgeous pose, Arisa reflected vaguely. The type that some old artist would have liked to capture. It also looked like it would be a bitch to maintain, though.

She realized that she'd trailed off in the middle of a sentence, and, wincing, pushed herself into a less slumped-over sitting position as she continued. "You said that you'd had interest in females before, right? What females might these be?"

Saki held still for one more second, then turned around again, standing up from her floor but not facing the bed that Arisa was perched on. "Just one, really," she said quietly. Her voice was so light, gossamer-like, and yet shadowy at the same time. Sort of like a witch's voice might be. For reasons that she couldn't pinpoint, the blonde girl felt her heart accelerating. She squeezed her left arm with her right, trying to calm down.

"Tohru, right?" she blurted out, and her voice was too low, too oddly caught-up in her throat. Of course it would be Tohru. Who _couldn't _love Tohru? Crushing on her was different, yes, but… still. What other candidate could there possibly be?

_What other candidate to I _want _there to be?_

"No, actually… not Tohru."

"Oh, yeah?" Arisa challenged without knowing why she was, leaning forward, ignoring as a bit of her hair came tucked out from behind her ear and fell over her eyes, almost like a protective mask. "Who, then? Who could possibly…" She trailed off, not even knowing what she'd been trying to say.

"Your waves are a bit odd right now," Saki reflected quietly, finally turning around so that Arisa could see her fully. Her head was tilted ever so slightly to the side, eyes watching widely and intently, black-nailed fingers running along her braid. "I haven't seen you like this before… you're worked up… and not in an entirely negative way, either…"

"Just tell me who it is that you like," Arisa found herself begging.

A small smirk was widening on the Goth girl's face. "Only when you do."


	13. Yuki x Kagura

**A/N **_And now we have Yuki and Kagura. No idea why this pairing popped into my head. Absolutely none. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I like it... hm... well. Nothing (fem)slashy this time around, so read away, audience! And review! Please! Oh, and one more thing- this is obviously set before the books, when Kagura is ten and Yuki is something younger than that, since I'm way too lazy to look up their exact age difference. _

**Thanks to **_no one this time around. Oh, well, can't have everything in life!_

**Disclaimer **_I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc. _

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><p>XIII. BLUEBERRIES &amp; APPLES<p>

Kagura could never stand the sound of crying. Maybe it was the motherly instinct in her, but something about it hurt, pierced right through her cheerful exterior and chilled her core. _Make it stop, _she thought desperately to herself. She was young, just ten years old, not mature enough to handle this on her own. But she couldn't stand it. The sound was so unnatural, weaving raggedly up and down, the sobs high and ceaseless. The sound reminded her of shuffling feet among half-frozen slush, kicking up bits of the icy coldness, wet and wintery sharp.

_Make it go away!_

But it wasn't going away. So, with a deep breath, she turned away from the direction she was heading—Kyo-chan could wait for just a moment—and headed down the hallway towards the noise.

She stumbled over him, almost literally, and gave a little gasp as she lay eyes on him. He was crumpled on the floor, just outside of one of Akito's long, dark rooms, the rooms where he said things… did things… and this little boy—he was younger than her, but not by much, and yet his hair was a soft, pretty shade of silver. Not gray… silver. She couldn't see his face, just his quaking shoulders, shuddering as more wretched sobs rang through the still air.

"Hey… it's okay," Kagura soothed, crouching down beside him and laying a hand on his trembling back. "Did Akito-san say bad things to you? It's okay. I'm here. I'm here."

The little boy whimpered, then suddenly threw himself into her arms, burrowing up against her chest. She flinched backwards for a moment, expecting herself to transform, but nothing happened.

"You must be Yuki-chan," she whispered into his ear, tentatively folding her arms around his tiny, delicate form. "The rat, right?"

He didn't answer, but instead wiped at his nose with a sleeve and looked up at her, his wide, violent-tinted silver eyes swimming with tears. "I—my mama is… coming to get me soon," he whimpered. "You should… go."

Kagura frowned, threading her fingers in the silkiness of his hair. "No, I'm not going to do that. I won't leave you alone again, Yuki-chan. I don't want you to keep crying."

"But—"

"I'll wait here. I'm sure your mama's a very nice lady," she murmured.

Yuki just cried harder.


	14. Ayame x Akito

**A/N **_Oh, god, I don't even know anymore. I think that what I was trying to do here was show the hidden sides of each character- Aaya's seriousness, and Akii's sensitivity. The result appears to be the most magnificent display of OOC-itude I've ever pulled off. Ever. Including my full-length Furuba fic, "Lace Cuffs," which centers around an angsty Momiji. No, I don't know how that works, either. Well. Anyways. Ayame's acting more like Yuki than himself here... okay, it's nothing like Yuki. Kinda Shigure-ish, actually. Oh, jesus, that's what's going on. Ayame has totally become Shigure here. I ought to shut up now. Right, that I'll do. For ScarredStar- please don't kill me, things aren't this OOC all the time. Well... I'll stop giving you bad impressions of the thing before you even read it. *sigh* _

**Thanks to **ScarredStar, nutella4ever, and Total Anime Fangirl

**Disclaimer **_I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc. _

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><p>XIV. PAPAYAS &amp; BLACKBERRIES<p>

Ayame wasn't afraid of the knife. He knew that, despite her threats and her fury, Akito would never dare to murder one of her Zodiac. She would get close, yes, very close, but the prospect of injury didn't frighten him. It was only pain. Pain could, and _would, _be overcome. He was, after all, a member of the Juunishi who had gone through a lot in his time. Most of them had, but still. He had endurance, as invisible as it may be to the rest of them. And he would hold out, no matter what.

"Your hair is obscene," she snarled, her pale, clenched hand shaking. The blade glimmered in the dark room's low light, perilously close to his neck, but he held still. She was the one in danger right now, not him. She was weak, and he knew it. "I want… I'm cutting it off. I hate it."

She did that sometimes—reverted to childish, simple language when under pressure. He was used to it, knowing her as well as he did. Knew how to react to it, as well. So he simply nodded, a short dip of his head. "Go on," he suggested, his voice much lower and quieter than usual. "Do it."

Akito gripped a handful of his thick, soft silver hair, watching in furious fascination as the thin, sleek strands pooled in her palm. Slowly, she raised the knife, but didn't bring it down. It hovered, trembling, suspended in the faint light.

"It's too pretty," she choked, tears swimming in her dark eyes, face flushed. "It's not fair… I… I don't get hair like that."

He glanced back at her over his turned shoulder, surprised. Was that really what this was all about? Envy? He'd never seen that one coming. Reaching up and gripping her wrist gently, he turned around so that he was facing her, the two of them kneeling on the floor of the long, dark room. Now they were holding the knife together, and a move by either of them would decide it.

"Go ahead, then, if you want to," he murmured, staring at her. She tried to look away, but he gripped her chin in his fingers, turning it forcefully back to face him. "This is it. Make your decision. Choose. Sever it. It's only hair."

Her voice trembled. "I—I…"

Then her arm went limp, and he gently guided it to the floor, depositing the weapon safely on the ground. She was shaking with sobs, looking so small on the long stretch of floor, so alone.

So he took her in his arms, rocking her gently back and forth and letting her cry into his shoulder for as long as she needed. "You're acting st-strange," she choked. "You're usually such an… idiot."

His response was quiet, yet almost amused. "I could say the same to you."


	15. Shigure x Ayame

**A/N** _The first thing I have to say is- sorry for the random skipped week. I had too many things going on last weekend to find time to update, but here I am! And, god, this chapter sucks. MORE THAN ALL THE OTHERS I'VE COMPLAINED ABOUT COMBINED. Except for maybe the Yun/Machi; I really hated that one. Well, anyways. This is what happens when I try writing a Shigure/Ayame, for future reference. Both of their characters are so hard, that when I try to put them together, I produce mush. Dear god. Well... I was so totally stumped as to what to do with this that I ended up using the chapter title for a prompt. It's sad, I know. Oh well... maybe I'll perk up again next chap. And yes, this DOES CONTAIN SLASH. Well, if you consider this slash. It's semi-romantic maybe fluff. So I think you're good, whether or not you're against guy/guy XD For Total Anime Fangirl. _

**Thanks to** _Total Anime Fangirl, nutella 4 a happy panda, ScarredStar, and Chiruno-Chan_

**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc. _

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><p>XV. MANGOES &amp; PAPAYAS<p>

"How long has it been since you tasted a decent mango, Aaya?" Shigure asked casually, considering the plump, warm-hued fruit resting in his palm.

The silver-haired man across the room tilted his head, watching Shigure with gem-bright yellow eyes. "A long time," he responded without hesitation. "Mangoes are one of those fruits… massive populations strive to grow a good one, but it takes true mastery to get the flavor precisely right. A tragedy, really, that so many are born but so few reach their full potential…"

"Well," the Dog murmured, making sure to make his voice more dramatic than necessary as a smirk flickered into existence on his face, "this one looks quite good to me, but unfortunately, I doubt I'll be able to share it. All mine."

"You _wouldn't!_" Ayame sprang to his feet, at Shigure's side almost immediately and kneeling next to the armchair that he was perched in. "You'd never be so selfish as to keep such a precious specimen all to yourself!"

Shigure lowered the mango until it was right between both of them, suspended in the still, warm air of the empty house—Kyo, Tohru, and Yuki were all out. "Come and get it, then," he teased lowly. "Unless I beat you to it."

Both of them lunged for the fruit at the same time, each biting down on a different side of the soft flesh. Shigure tore through it, juice running stickily down his chin in a sweet rivulet, while Aaya was daintier, his teeth cutting a more precise fissure into the smooth, red-orange skin.

Their eyes found each other, deep brown to pale gold, and, as they swallowed together, the two of them laughed.


	16. Yuki x Saki

**A/N** _Okay, I don't know how it happened, but what we have right here is Yuki and Hana. And- wait for it- I'M ACTUALLY HAPPY WITH THE RESULT! Yay! Somewhat, anyway XD Also: this is now my most reviewed fic! Well, it has been for a while, but I didn't notice *fail* Can we make it to 50? That would be awesome... anyways. Without further ado... here we go!_

**Thanks to** _ScarredStar and Total Anime Fangirl_

**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc._

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><p><strong>XVI. BLUEBERRIES &amp; GRAPES<strong>

She of all people knew that, oftentimes, apparent personality was just as skin-deep as beauty. How one acted was nearly all the time used as a weapon in the battle of reputation, of popularity, and didn't whatsoever reflect the true inside. As someone who could easily identify the inner emotions of just about anyone, Saki Hanajima was amazed—in her cool, stoic way—every time she saw someone who was acting kindly simply because they believed others deserved it.

Tohru, for example, was one of these people. She was bright, always perky and joyful, and wanting to spread that joy out of genuine conviction that everyone should experience it. Quite simply, she was a good, pure, happy person, and that was wonderful.

Yuki Sohma was… well, no, he wasn't the same. He wasn't even remotely close. His inside was a wreck. The waves he sent out were trembling, uncertain, constantly doubting himself. But she knew that he didn't want anyone else to go through that pain. He actually thought that no others in the world deserved it. He kept it bottled up inside of him, and tried his hardest to look happy day after day, purely for others' benefit.

It hurt her, though.

Usually, she wasn't affected by problems that weren't hers—she had enough of her own to contend with, after all. And yet… Yuki… he was such a good, pure person. He needed someone to share with. Someone to lean on, someone to help him with… everything.

She wanted to be that person. But how?

With this question ringing in her head, she approached him after school one day. Tohru was sick, so he was walking home alone this afternoon. She slipped up behind him silently.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" she murmured.

He jumped slightly and whirled around to face her, his eyes wide. "I—Hanajima-san! What—"

"It hurts. To have to hide everything, always."

He fell silent and simply watched her, questions glimmering in his silver irises.

"I could help," she told him, "if you want."

He stared at her for a long moment before the words escaped him, soft and uncertain. "…I do. Please."


	17. Yuki x Rin

**A/N** _How many weeks did I skip this time? Two? Three? Wow. Um, yes. Well, here we are, anyhow. I'm back now. :3 But I won't promise any more regular updates, though I'll try. I really will. ;n; REQUESTS MAKE ME GO FASTER. This is **fact. **Seriously. It is. Oh, and this is Yuki/Rin, btw. I just realized that I never actually use Yun's name... Oh my god. Yun. That would be their pairing name, wouldn't it? XD Probably more like... iunno... Yusuzu? That's actually fun to say. Try it!_

**Thanks to** _Total Anime Fangirl and nutella 4 a happy panda_

**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc. _

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><p>XVII. BLUEBERRIES &amp; LEMONS<p>

She always _glared _at him. It was… a bit alarming, to be honest—always having those dark, glistening, frosty orbs fixated on him, shaded by thin, drawn-together eyebrows, seeing her upper lip curled back in a grimace… alarming, and _painful. _What was it about him that she hated so much? What had he ever done that was so damaging to her?

Nothing. That was the truth. Other people had inflicted this damage on her—most of all herself. _It's not my fault. Is it my fault? _She never seemed to hate any of the rest of them… not as much as him.

_Am I the worst? _

"Isuzu-san…"

He hadn't meant to say it. He'd only just caught a glimpse of her while walking along the road of the estate, on the way to, unfortunately, visit his mother. But there she was, head ducked, face turned away. Her long mane of glossy, dark hair was instantly recognizable.

When he called her name, she only began walking faster, feet slipping along the rain-sodden ground as she stumbled in the opposite direction.

"Hey—wait!" Without knowing why, he was hurrying forward, mud splattering against the front of his leggings. One of his hands was reaching out, securing around her reluctant shoulder, turning her around to face him.

"Isuzu," he began, with no direct intention of words to come. But then he caught sight of her face—and his stomach seemed to drop. Her skin was flushed, her eyes full of tears, hair sticking to her red cheeks with what he knew wasn't rainwater.

"Don't _look _at me!" she shrieked, pulling away from him with a sharp jerk and a wretched sob. "I'm—I'm horrible, don't… look at me…" Her voice was so broken, so shaky.

"You're not horrible," he argued, and though she still didn't face him, she didn't turn away, either. "You're… Rin, you're… well… beautiful."

They were the truest words he'd ever spoken.


	18. Ayame x Tohru

**A/N** _OH MY GOD GUYS HI. I'M BACK. YEAH. BACK. HI. I finally finally FINALLY wrote the next chapter, so WOO. Eeee, I'm so excited to be baaaaack~ I should be posting regularly (once a week) now, so yay! Let me know if you have any requests, and please review! This chap is for Obviously Entei. _

**Thanks to...** _nutella 4 a happy panda, Obviously Entei, & Total Anime Fangirl_

**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc. _

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><p><strong>XVIII. PAPAYAS &amp; ONIGIRIS<strong>

She was beautiful, he decided upon considering her with a careful eye. Of course he'd already reached a similar conclusion when viewing her in a purely casual way, but Ayame was an artist, and he knew the difference between shallow prettiness and the kind of beauty that lit up the whole room.

Tohru, undoubtedly, possessed the latter. It was most visible when she was done up in a dress of Mine's creation, vaguely maid-style, a rather simple lace-white frame decked out in all matters of frills and ribbons, spiraling away from her slim figure like runaway sunbeams. Aaya knew, despite his general exuberance, when an outfit was over-the-top, but the complex décor complemented Tohru's modest simplicity in the best of ways.

He told himself, of course, that it was only the craft that he was admiring, the luxurious dress and the way that it hugged the cinnamon-haired girl's shape, loose and tight in all the right places. But he was unable to prevent his golden eyes from wandering, drifting away from the fabric and up to her face, flushed pale pink, her lips curved up in a helpless laugh as Mine prodded here and there, adjusting the dress. Her eyes were wide and lovely milk-chocolate brown, glowing with positivity that seemed to radiate from her, strong and sweet.

"Ayame-san?" she asked through her giggles once Mine finally settled back in satisfaction. She lifted her arms, draped in delicate cloth, over her head, and gave a small spin to display the rose-pink bows distributed down the curve of her spine. "What do you think?"

"Gorgeous," he replied softly, resting his chin on his long fingers and letting a wide smile curl his features as he gazed at her wonderingly. "Absolutely stunning."


	19. Ayame x Hatori

**A/N** _We've reached 50 reviews! :D I'd like to take this opportunity to thank every one of you readers all over again- I didn't ever think that this little drabble collection would get so many fans ;w; Please keep it up! This chapter is for RemyLeBeau4ever1; I don't think it's done amazingly, and I adore the Ayame/Hatori ship, so I think I could've don better, but... eh, oh well. Please tell me what you think~! __  
><em>

**Thanks to...** _RemyLeBeau4ever1, seaapple__  
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**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc._

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><p><strong>XIX. GRAPEFRUITS &amp; PAPAYAS<strong>

Hatori always told himself that he was a reasonable man, and, for the most part, that was true. His decisions were generally good, after all, and he certainly kept himself a lot more restrained than someone like Kagura or Momiji, who simply flaunted their oddity. Or, perhaps, someone like Ayame.

And Aaya's ridiculousness was just what caught Hatori up, as much as he tried to deny it. He called it friendship, at first, that nervous little warm feeling that tickled the inside of his ribs whenever the Snake flashed a glitzy grin in his direction, but eventually admitted to himself that it was by all definition a very non-platonic crush.

What sort of crush, though, lasted over ten years?

He hated himself for it, of course—just added his stupid obsession to the endless pile of things to detest his own existence over. Ayame deserved someone better than him, and he needed someone better than Ayame—they just didn't match up, when things got down to it; and he knew that, but he despised it, especially because Aaya had no idea, himself. No idea how much it tormented Hatori every time he slipped a casual, joking flirt in his direction, or ran his long fingers through the glinting depths of his silvery hair in that specific languid gesture that always sent unwilling chills down the Dragon's spine.

The truth was that Hatori was the ignorant one. Ayame was all too aware of what these words and actions did to his closest friend, or at least what he meant for them to do. Best he could tell, Hatori was utterly immune to him—that was the price that the Dragon paid for always keeping his eyes stone-cold, shame sealing over his affection and blocking any chance that their matching emotions could ever materialize.

Well, perhaps not any chance. Because there was always that rare, rare occasion when Hatori would smile back, when the air between them would feel just a little more electric. And those tiny moments were what kept both of them going—a fragment of a possibility that maybe, someday, the two of them could move beyond dreaming.


	20. Momiji x Tohru

**A/N** _And I'm back this time with Momiji/Tohru, on request of Obviously Entei. And before I forget to mention it: for those of you who had this on Story Alert, you know that chapter 18 was previously an Author's Note, so I suppose you didn't get the notification when I changed it, but it is now an actual chapter, Ayame/Tohru. Just so you know~ :D I really appreciate all theses reviews; keep 'em coming, and remember that I love requests!_

**Thanks to** _RemyLeBeau4ever1, Nagisha, nutella4ever, and Ihaven'tgotanimagination_

**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc._

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><p><strong>XX. TANGERINES &amp; ONIGIRIS<strong>

"Hey!" Tohru found herself crying out in indignation as something heavy rammed into her shoulder. She automatically thrust her hands out, flailing desperately for balance, and the ice cream cone that had been held in one flew forward and collided with the sunlit cement in front of her. A gasp fell from her lips as she looked around, just in time to see a young man dashing down the sidewalk, shouting a hasty apology in her direction. She stared blankly for a moment, then closed her jaw quickly, a soft cloud of disappointment falling over her face as she stared at the strawberry ice cream melting over the concrete, drizzling its sparkling white surface with pale pink streams.

"Oh, no!" Momiji cried out from where he stood beside her. His usually cheery features were downturned, and his soft brown eyes wide and injured. "He—? I'm sorry, Tohru-san, here, take mine…"

"No, no, I couldn't," she stammered hastily, holding her hands up. "That's yours, it's not your fault that he… well, he probably had a reason for being in a hurry, anyways, whoever he was. Somewhere to get… I should try to clean this up." Her tone was stressed, and she knelt down beside the shattered cone and ever-growing puddle, her hands hovering over the mess, clearly unsure what to do.

"At least have one bite," he urged, crouching next to her and holding his own ice cream under her nose. The sweet chocolate scent was awfully tempting, and she allowed herself a single small mouthful, smiling at the delicious taste on her tongue.

"Thanks," she beamed, reaching out and squeezing his shoulder. He grinned back, wide and eager, and then leaned in and took a large bite of his own. A breeze of laughter flew over her, and, for a moment, she was glad that her own cone had been ruined, just so that they got the opportunity to share.


	21. Kyo x Yuki

**A/N** _WELP, I finally did Kyo/Yuki XDD Aren't you guys proud of me? So, yeah, this chapter is yaoi/boyxboy/slash/whatever you want to call it, so beware of that. This is another request for _RemyLeBeau4ever1; I have all of the requests given to me typed on a doc, just so you know, so I haven't forgotten about any of them, and intend to get through them all :D In the meantime, feel free to make more~ Almost to 60 reviews, yay!__

**Thanks to** _RemyLeBeau4ever1, KyokoDreamer, nutella4ever, and Guest_

**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc._

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><p><strong>XXI. ORANGES &amp; BLUEBERRIES<strong>

"Hold still," Yuki murmured, gently dabbing at the reddened cut below Kyo's eye with a damp, pale blue towel. "I can't do this properly if you're squirming all over the place."

"Maybe I don't want you to 'do this' at all," the redhead shot back. His eyes flashed and his jaws tightened in a hiss of pain as Yuki brought the cloth to his bruising cheekbone again, calmly swiping it with disinfectant. "Did you ever… think of that?" he got out through clenched teeth.

Rolling his eyes, Yuki set the cloth aside and reached for a Band-Aid, expertly removing the paper strips and positioning it above the other boy's small injury. "You've already shown us how horrific you are at taking care of wounds—"

"It's hardly a _wound, _idiot—"

"I'm the one who delivered it. Trust me, it's a wound." His fingers landed lightly on the tender flesh, probing along and positioning the Band-Aid over the skin's split before pressing it into place.

"Why the hell fix it up, then, if you're the one who caused it? You ought to be proud of… of the fact that you managed to get a punch in."

"I don't have any reason to be proud. It's far from unusual," Yuki sighed. "I do effortlessly defeat you _every _time…" His work done, he sat back, considering Kyo's flushed face and fuming expression. The Cat's sweaty hair stuck up in every direction, and one of his golden amber eyes was nearly sealed shut from the swelling cut, but he still looked good—always, he somehow managed to look good; _cute, _even, what with the Band-Aid plastered over the side of his face and the look of defiance sharp on his features, though Yuki would have died sooner than admit such a thing.

"One of these days, I'll win. Just wait," Kyo spat.

"Whatever you say," said Yuki tiredly, turning and preparing to head out the bathroom door. But first, he paused, glanced back over his shoulder and spoke barely above a whisper. "Have you ever considered… that perhaps it doesn't be like this? That we don't have to… _fight _all the time?"

"Not once." Kyo sounded almost proud, and a small, disappointed lurch twisted Yuki's stomach. _Shouldn't have expected anything different, _he told himself fiercely, and proceeded to leave, kicking the door shut behind him.


	22. Haru x Yuki

**A/N** _And here we have yet another emotion-drabble where nothing really happens. Oh, well. This is Haru/Yuki for Guest; I hope you enjoy it! :3 Sorry to you het shippers, I promise that I'll have a non-slash chapter up soon. The things on my request list right now are Kakeru/Tohru, Yuki/Motoko, and Ayame/Ritsu, so you can expect them! As always, if you have a request, please let me know, and I'll be glad to write it. Also, thank you so much to everybody for the stunning total of 60 reviews!_

**Thanks to** _nutella4ever, RemyLeBeau4ever1_

**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc._

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><p><strong>XXII. LIMES &amp; BLUEBERRIES<strong>

Yuki knew how Haru felt about him. He never showed it, not really—of course, the Ox was all too obvious about his emotions, generally, but the Rat managed to act oblivious, or at least pretend that he didn't understand their true depth. It was easier that way, after all, to feign the fact that he had no interest in the white-haired boy's clear infatuation.

The truth was, though, that he honestly didn't know what he thought of Haru. Whether he could ever see him in that light. He was attractive, certainly—in the upper half of the Sohma family in terms of looks, in Yuki's opinion, what with his downy-soft, pale hair and dark-chocolate hued eyes, not to mention that proud, smirking smile that could catch even the most invulnerable girl off-guard.

But what caught Yuki up most was undoubtedly Haru's _intelligence. _The others, Kyo, Momiji, Shigure, Ayame, Kagura, Ritsu… they were all such idiots. Innocent idiots, in some cases; all-too-knowledgeable ones, in others. Haru, though… Haru was perceptive. Clever. Even if the air he projected was careless, casual, he was strong, both in body and mind.

Perhaps that was why, despite himself, Yuki found himself helplessly attracted to the Ox. Yuki himself was far from strong, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise. He was injured easily, by words or looks, and every psychological stab twisted deeper into his chest, all of them piling up like stones that weighted his every step.

But Haru was strong enough to lift those stones, and he did, however unknowingly, with every grin and glance, subtle or obtuse, in Yuki's direction.

He made it more bearable, and perhaps that was why Yuki found himself caring about him so much, in a way that he never would have expected of himself.


	23. Yuki x Motoko

**A/N **_Yuki/Motoko for Obviously Entei. I'm trying to get back on my game with the requests, now that I have a long, lovely list of them! xD_

**Thanks to **_RemyLeBeau4ever1, PrideMunkeyz, and Jokess_

**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc._

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><p><strong>XXIII. BLUEBERRIES &amp; ROSE HIPS<strong>

She pauses at the gates, tears still warm on her cheeks, and debates looking back. She wants to see him, really—just one more time. _That's what you've been telling yourself all day. What you've been telling yourself all year, really. One time. Just one more time. _But it's a massive effort to restrain herself—it's not like merely glancing back will hurt anything, after all. She's already said her goodbyes. It's not she's going to be running back, grabbing him by the shoulder and spinning him around and—

A low sigh, falling from her lips like a broken promise. _It's over. _And it doesn't hurt, really, at least not yet. There's no sharpness in her chest, only a gentle pressure, the sweet throb that she's grown so used to. It feels beautiful. She's not ready to abandon it… she doesn't _want _to. He's meant everything to her for so long… how is she supposed to leave that all behind now?

Her mouth moves gently, shifting around the familiar two syllables of his name. _Yuki. _Her eyes lift slowly, raising her face to the cloudless sky and feeling the cool touch of the spring sun. The tears have lost almost all of their moisture, clinging dryly and stickily to her flushed cheeks.

_You're strong, now. There are many more out there… you're ready to leave him behind. It's time. Come on. _

She inhales, long and quick, and it scratches against her nose and throat. It feels better, though, afterwards—her lungs full of clean, fresh air, sunlight illuminating the street before her and a bit more courage in her step.

She doesn't look back.


	24. Kakeru x Tohru

**A/N **_Here's my attempt at Kakeru/Tohru for Obviously Entei. As you can see, I basically avoided any real characterization on his part, considering that it's been so long since I read the manga. By the way, I completely neglected to notice at the actual anniversary, but this story's been being posted for over a year now. Woot! _

**Thanks to **_Avi and yaoifanatic2_

**Disclaimer** _I don't own Fruits Basket or any associated characters, events, etc._

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><p><strong>XXIV. AVOCADOS &amp; ONIGIRIS<strong>

It was a casual sort of thing, how they got together. No one ever expected it, least of all the two themselves, but it happened anyways, somehow, on a day when light rain was dotting the sidewalk and streaking the side of the school building, with the end of the term's warmth hanging at the edge of the air, dampened by a chill wind that curled around the streets.

Tohru hugged her schoolbooks closer to her chest, ducking her head down to try and protect her face from the breeze that had already nipped her cheeks into redness. Yuki had been sick today, and Kyo was acting distant lately—too distant to provide the assistance that the silver-haired Rat usually did, helping her to support her massive haul of homework. Instead, she struggled along on her own, trying not to trip over her own feet.

She managed to avoid that much, but there was no way she could have seen the corner of the sidewalk jutting up in front of her. So the toe of her boot managed to hook over its edge, sending her flying forward, heart jumping forward as she voiced a small shriek of surprise.

Then there were hands on her shoulder, holding her back. "Careful, there," a bright, animated voice chuckled, and she glanced up between the mussed-up strands of her hair to see a face—a very good-looking face, she couldn't help but notice, dark-haired and large-eyed, grinning down at her.

"I—I'm sorry," she stammered, glancing down at the fallen books, "I'll… I'll take care of these…"

"You don't happen to be the famous Tohru Honda-san, do you?" he questioned, his tone overly inquisitive, as she got down to her knees, pulling her notebooks and binders into a haphazard pile. "Yun-yun mentioned that she was clumsy…"

And it all came together from there.


End file.
